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Some "Frills" Make the Consumer More Efficient 



Many of the so-called frills are really an effective means 

 of saving the consumer's time. In this category is the much- 

 maligned delivery system. Despite some abuses, it makes the 

 consumer more efficient and saves his time for productive 

 effort on a war job. The administrators withhold rubber 

 from the retail distributor to cut down delivery. Another 

 agency of the government assigns the consumer a gallon and 

 a half of gas a week. Still others order him to work more 

 hours. If the consumer does not have enough gas to get his 

 food and can't have it delivered, he may work less for the 

 war effort. To get the highest efficiency in the war effort and 

 reduce the consumer's gasoline consumption, it may be nec- 

 essary actually to increase the costs of distribution. 



Some efforts to cut distribution costs may backfire or turn 

 out to have raised costs rather than lowered them. The case 

 of sliced bread was in one or both of these categories. 



Progress Is Slow 



It is easy for the Washington administrator to look down 

 the groceryman's aisles and tell him how to clean them up. 

 Usually the costs are greater than the savings. This is par- 

 ticularly true when the recommendations are based on an 

 aerial reconnaissance, from an altitude of 30,000 feet, travel- 

 ing 300 miles per hour. 



Here and there a spectacular saving may be possible. 

 Sometimes such savings can be made only by strong-arm 

 methods over the protests of organized labor. Most of the 

 progress that will occur will be slow and gradual. 



There is much discussion of eliminating private brands 

 and substituting government grades. This may eliminate 

 some individual's lifetime efforts to give the consumer a bet- 

 ter product. Its elimination will not reduce costs. The same 



